Medicaid Cuts Would Harm Rural Patients, Communities

CEO Report - A report issued last week notes that residents of rural areas and small towns are more likely to rely on Medicaid for health coverage compared to urban residents.

With recent talks of $2.3 trillion in Medicaid cuts, the authors note that rural areas of the US would be disproportionately impacted by cuts. The report from the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy noted:

Large cuts to Medicaid currently being contemplated by Congress pose very severe threats to rural communities. Hospitals and other providers in rural communities are already operating on tighter margins and disproportionately rely on Medicaid for their patient revenues.

In 40 of 48 states, Medicaid enrollment in rural counties was similar or higher than in urban counties.

For example, roughly 13 percent of Hennepin County non-elderly adults are enrolled in Medicaid, while 22 percent are enrolled in Beltrami County. To see Minnesota’s geographic variation, click here.